When as an undergraduate I read “The gods are not to blame” because it was on our syllabus, I fell in love with the many proverbs and other idiomatic expressions that make Ola Rotimi’s book a delight to read.
One of such expressions was “Your words are like fresh wine; sweet but lacking in substance.”
Somehow I felt like saying the same thing after reading the text of President Bola Tinubu’s New Year address. For as long as I can remember, I’ve not been in the habit of listening to presidential speeches. I always found them long and boring and often wondered why some people have the patience to listen to them.
What I do is to read reports on them in the media afterwards.
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So typically, I read what the press reported President Tinubu as saying, and was particularly struck by his assertion that he is aware of our frustrations.
He followed this declaration with some platitudes about how he cares and is doing what he can to alleviate our suffering. He also added his assurance that these tough times won’t last and are a herald for the good to come.
I wish I have access to his speech-writers, I’d have loved to tell them that we Nigerians have reached a stage where such soft talk doesn’t move us anymore.
At this stage, all we want is action. By this I mean that when the president says he knows our pains I expect him to follow it up with something like: ‘As a result I’m slashing my salary and allowance by 50% and the same goes for members of my executive council and national legislators, in tune with the mood of the nation.’
And when he said ‘I am not oblivious to the expressed and sometimes unexpressed frustrations of my fellow citizens. I know for a fact that some of our compatriots are even asking if this is how our administration wants to renew their hope.”
I was hoping he will follow that up with a promise to abandon all previous plans for self-aggrandisement as announced in his supplementary budget request. The plan to refurbish old state houses and purchase needless expensive cars, buy same for national legislators and seal the deal on a yacht for his sailing pleasure, should all be cancelled as a way of identifying with hungry and angry Nigerians.
When President Tinubu urged that “Our current circumstances should make us resolve to work better for the good of our beloved nation. Our situation should make us resolve that this new year 2024, each one of us will commit to be better citizens.’ I wondered what “circumstances” and “situation” he is talking about.
Because it is obvious that we don’t share any situations and circumstances with His Excellency and members of his government.
In fact it’s very true that the ordinary Nigerian lives a whole world apart from top Nigerian politicians and their families. And while his circumstances keep plunging downwards, due to unfavourable government policies, these top-ranking individuals have no direct idea of the extent of his travails.
So how can we have shared circumstances and situations between us and our political leaders?
Since we are now forced to pay almost four times what we used to pay for fuel, a situation that means the price of everything will multiply at the same rate, the least we expect is for our leaders to join our queue and live at less than the price they value themselves. They should have less luxury, less foreign travels, less pay, in short less indulgence in everything.
But the president recently went for a summit in Dubai with over 1400 people tagging along, when richer countries went with less than 50.
His Senate president went all out to over-indulge in an extravagant birthday celebration because he has turned 61. I wonder what is so special about turning 61, but because it is his time to shine, Senator Akpabio had no wish to pull any stops.
So are these the people who spare a thought to ordinary Nigerians? Do they look like the type that remotely understand our pains?
No, PBAT and Co have to do better than these verbal prouncements. They have to follow them up with clear evidence of sacrifice and a willingness to forgo their limitless comforts, before we agree that they know about our problems.
Right now, it’s not obvious at all that they even know there is real human suffering in Nigeria. In the last seven months, their priorities have been to better their lives and their fortunes. While ordinary Nigerians are being made to pay more for everything, these people only read about inflation in the media, if they care to read at all.
Until we reach a stage where we see actual relief coming our way from this government-imposed hardship, we will find it hard to believe PBATs ‘awareness’ of our frustrations.
So far, we don’t see the evidence of empathy or sympathy in their actions, over the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
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